The CS Gas used in Bahrain is “Weaponized” in the truest sense of the word. The use of Military Grade CS GAS an Order of Magnitude more potent than “riot control agents” used in the streets of the United States and the United Kingdom is well documented in Bahrain. The weapon being discussed here is a Combat grade CS Gas.

Use of CS Gas in war is prohibited under the terms of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, signed by most nations in 1993, with all but five other nations signing between the years of 1994 through 1997. Only five nations have not signed the Chemical Weapons Convention and are therefore unhindered by restrictions on the use of CS gas: Angola, Egypt, North Korea, Somalia, and Syria.

The “weaponization” that the PHR Report discusses concerns the use of CS Gas, typically considered “less-than-lethal”, as a “lethal weapon”. Gas Canisters are being fired as a projectile directly are protesters causing death and CS Gas is being fired directly into homes, transforming them into “gas chambers” where infants and elderly die from asphyxiation. – Phlipn

Bahrain Is Criticized for Its ‘Torrent’ of Tear Gas Use
1 August, 2012 – NYT

Despite a pledge to stop abuses by its security forces, the ruling Sunni minority in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain is engaged in systematic and disproportionate use of tear gas on its restive Shiite majority, permitting police officers to routinely fire volleys at point-blank range at crowds and into homes and vehicles in Shiite neighborhoods, a leading rights group said in a report released on Wednesday.

A Bahraini protester hit by a tear gas canister on Sunday was treated by underground doctors and nurses in a house after clashes with the police.

The group, the Physicians for Human Rights, which has been highly critical of the Bahraini monarchy’s behavior since the Shiite protests inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings began there 18 months ago, called the policy on tear gas use unprecedented in the world, even among dictatorships where tear gas is a staple tool for crowd control.

Its report, based on dozens of interviews of victims in Bahrain and forensic evidence gathered there by the group’s investigators in April, said the Shiite populace’s abnormally prolonged exposure to the tear gas’s toxic components had already led to an alarming increase in miscarriages, respiratory ailments and other maladies.

It documented examples of grievous wounds suffered by civilians whose skulls and limbs had been struck by metal tear gas canisters blasted from a few feet away. The report also described instances in which people not engaged in protests were attacked with tear gas fired into their cars and through the windows or doors of their homes, including at least two cases in which residents died from complications from exposure to the gas because they were trapped in enclosed spaces.

“Since February 2011, the Bahraini government has unleashed a torrent of these toxic chemical agents against men, women and children, including the elderly and infirm,” asserted the report, titled “Weaponizing Tear Gas.” …more

Iran accused the West of providing chemical warfare agents to the Bahraini government on Tuesday, and that authorities there have used them to quash anti-regime protests.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, deputy foreign minister for African and Arab affairs, told the official Iranian News Agency IRNA, “I am expressing Tehran’s concern over the use of lethal chemical gases by Bahraini authorities against the Bahraini people.”

The Iranian official said unspecified Western nations were providing Manama with chemical choking agents, which has led to the death or injury of tens of citizens.

The allegations come on the heels of a report by a British parliamentary committee on Friday that questioned whether British military exports to the island kingdom were being used for internal repression.

The report did not mention exports of chemical choking agents, which are forbidden under international arms control agreements.

Bahrain has witnessed mass pro-democracy protests since February 2011, with the regime resorting to brute force in a so far failed attempt to crush the uprising. …source

Cairo – A decision by the Obama administration to resume a large arms deal to Bahrain has incensed opposition activists in the tiny Gulf kingdom who see the deal as a signal that the US supports Bahrain’s repression of opposition protests.

In another blow to the opposition, Gulf Arab leaders are meeting in Saudi Arabia today to discuss greater integration of their Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a move that could solidify the security cooperation between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Last year, Saudi Arabia sent 1,500 Gulf troops into Bahrain to help quell the uprising that began in February 2011.

The US froze the $53 million deal to sell military equipment to Bahrain in September, months after security forces there violently suppressed protests calling for reform in a crackdown that has killed more than 50 people. The move to resume the sale – minus some equipment that could be used against protesters – is read by the opposition as the US ending any pressure for reform.

“It’s a direct message [from the US] that we support the authorities and we don’t support democracy in Bahrain, we don’t support protesters in Bahrain,” says Mohammed Al Maskati, a Bahraini rights activist, of the arms sale. He said opposition activists called for a week of protests against the US after the announcement on May 11. “Now protesters are starting to be more angry against the USA and this is not good for the USA,” he says by phone from Bahrain.

Activists are also protesting the proposed GCC union today.

Bahrain, a tiny island in the Persian Gulf connected by a causeway to Saudi Arabia, is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, considered a vital bulwark against Iran. The US response to Bahrain’s repression has been muted compared to other regional uprisings.

Repression has been greatly intensified in the past week, especially after the end of the most controversial F1 race last weekend. The use of what is now termed “Carpet Gassing” of residential areas is causing alarm on international level after more than 30 people were killed as a result of excessive inhalation of chemical gases fired by security forces. In addition to this people are routinely stopped, checked and intimidated at cheque points along the main roads and at entrances of towns and villages.

Reports have suggested that the hated duel; John Timony and John Yates have decided to create a blood bath in the country after they had been accused of failure to stem the protests or bring the situation under control. Demonstrations have been taking place on daily and nightly basis with men and women taking to the streets amid rising tension following the fiasco of the Formula 1 racing. International media has concluded that the Bahrainis Revolution is the winner of the race as it has placed itself back on the international scene. Journalists now speak of “the Forgotten Revolution” after they had witnessed its extent and determination.

The killing of a Bahriani activist on Saturday 21st April by Alkhalifa-run Death Squads has further undermined the regime which had repeatedly claimed to have “reformed” its security forces since the arrival of the torturous duel; Timony and Yates. Salah Abbas Habib, 37, was tortured to death after he was hit with a shotgun which sprayed his body with small pellets causing bleeding and pain. He was then subjected to most horrific treatment; subjected to sadistic torture in which acid was poured on his body; his hands broken at the wrists and his neck and the back of his skull also broken with severe tools. Bernie Ecclestone has also been heavily criticised for mishandling the situation and assuring the world that “all was quiet” thus giving the Alkhalifa an opportunity to take revenge from their adversaries in the middle of the night as the race was underway. The regime’s Death Certificate only mentioned that the cause of death had been shotgun wounds. But independent doctors who examined the body in the mortuary confirmed the administering of the sadistic torture. Both Dr Taha Al Durazi and Dr Ali Al Ekri gave their firm verdict that the victim had been severely tortured before his death. …source

editor: The MOI is responsible for scores of death as a result of abuse of less-than-lethal tear gas intended for use to disperse riotous crowds. Security forces, as a practice use tear gas in deliberate assaults against homes transforming them into gas chambers. MOI Police have established a clear pattern of targeting the sick, elderly and homes with infants. The MOI has a clear practice of “saturation bombing” of villages often at night or in the early morning hours, when people are sleeping or in the day when large protests are occurring leaving the villages more vulnerable to attack.

In the MOI attacks, ransacking homes and theft of personal property and food have become a routine practice. These are not isolated incident these are a daily occurrences and well documented frequent events. The apartheid policies of King Hamad have established that a deadly and systematic collective punishment and genocide has emerged. The al Khalifa regime has ensured the destruction of any remaining hope for the so called “reforms” they have so loudly proclaimed in recent weeks.

The regime reforms are now being seen as clear ploy by the regime, to talk of reform and willingness to “reconcile” but all the while they maintain an intense campaign of collective punishment, escalation of state violence against the opposition, their villages and those least able to defend themselves.

The intensity of lethal nature of these practices have clearly increased under consultation of US, John Timoney and UK, John Yates. When Western governments support “free enterprise murder” unchecked by the Members of Parliament and our Congressional Representatives the moral crisis calls their constituents to hold them accountable. Phlipn.

Tear gas kills two Bahrainis: opposition
AFP, 24 March, 2012

A Bahraini gestures during the funeral of 59-year-old Abda Ali Abdul Hussein in the village of Jidhafds, west of Manama, March 23, 2012. (Photo: Reuters)

Ahmed Abdul Nabi, 31, died after a tear gas grenade landed in his family’s house in the village of Shahrakan, said a statement by Al-Wefaq, citing family members.

The Shiite opposition group said he died due to the “poisoning and asphyxiating gases” used by security forces against Shiite youths, who stage frequent protests against the regime of the Sunni Muslim Al-Khalifa dynasty.

It provided a picture showing a broken window through which the canister is claimed to have entered the house.

Meanwhile, a woman named Abda Ali Abdul Hussein died on Friday after inhaling gases in the village of Jid Hafs, near the Bahraini capital Manama, Wefaq said, again citing family members.

The cause of the deaths could not immediately be confirmed.

Thousands demonstrated on Friday after the Shiite-led opposition called for several simultaneous protests across villages near Manama, in an act of defiance despite a brutal crackdown last March which quelled a month-long uprising demanding democratic change.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday criticised Bahraini forces for their “disproportionate use of force” as they sought to quell protests, saying their use of tear gas may have led to over 30 deaths.

“We have been receiving worrying reports of the disproportionate use of force by Bahraini security forces, including the excessive use of tear gas, the use of birdshot pellets and rubber bullets,” said spokesman Rupert Colville. ...more

Bahraini regime forces have once again used tear gas to disperse protesters holding a demonstration near the capital, Manama, Press TV reports.

Protesters held the demonstration against the ruling Al Khalifa family in the northern village of Muqsha, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) west of the capital on Tuesday.

Bahraini activists say regime forces also used live rounds against the protesters in Muqsha, who were mourning the death of the latest victim of the government’s violent suppression of demonstrations in the country.

The main Bahraini opposition group, al-Wefaq, said 27-year-old Sabri Mahfud died due to inhalation of tear gas fired by regime forces during a demonstration near Manama on Sunday.

Mahfud was the second victim of the Manama regime’s brutality since March 17.

The tear gas attack on Bahraini demonstrators in Muqsha comes as King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa claimed on Tuesday the “doors to dialogue were, and remain, open.”

The Bahraini monarch also claimed the government has made “significant progress” in implementing reforms in the sectors of “security, judiciary, social policy and media” since February 2011.

However, Bahraini opposition groups said last week the promised reforms were not enough and that they had made “no change on the ground.”

Bahraini demonstrators hold King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa responsible for the death of protesters during the popular uprising in the country that began in February 2011. …more

As reported to BCHR, a one month and a half infant (Yahya Yousif Ahmed) died on 05 March 2012 after suffering from side effects of toxic gas during pregnancy.

The father told BCHR that his wife was subjected to suffocation several times due to excessive tear gas during her pregnancy. Their house was attacked with tear gas at least 8 times. The doctors reported the cause of death to be abdominal inflammation and increased blood acids.

An elderly woman Sakeena Marhoon (in her 70s) died 06 March 2012, as reported to BCHR, after suffering from side effects of repeated inhalation of toxic gases thrown by security forces inside her house several times in Feb and March 2012. She was hospitalized a few weeks earlier due to suffocation after tear gas was shot inside her house.

A protestor from Al Dair got severely injured 06 March 2012 due to tear gas shot at his head.

Ahmed Oun (15 years old) was arrested weeks ago while marching to Lulu. On 05 March 2012, police raided his house in search for him claiming that he ran away. There are concerns on his life and safety.

The house of Deputy General Secretary of the National Fraternity Association (Yousif Qudrat) got attacked on night of 06 March 2012 by Molotov cocktails, leaving with this vicious attack obvious effects on the walls and courtyard of the house.

BCHR’s President Nabeel Rajab was summoned to appear in front of the public prosecution Thrusday 08 March, 03:00 pm, for the charge of calling for “unauthorized rallies”.

A primary school for girls suspends 20 students under the pretext of «chanting political slogans», a number of parents said that they were surprised by notification from the school to suspend their daughters out of school for one week, without prior notice.

A number of workers who are laid off because of the events of last year renewed their sit-in protest on Tuesday morning (6 March / March 2012) in front of the Ministry of Labour to speed in moving the files sent back to their work places.

Doctors Without Borders organization declared closing its mission in Bahrain, after the Bahraini authorities prevented the entry of two of the organization’s delegation to Bahrain last week, and warned that the organization does not currently have any staff in Bahrain.

The organization said it will continue contacting the Bahraini authorities, and hopes to return to work in Bahrain soon, according to WHO, one of its members will follow the situation in Bahrain from the WHO office in Dubai.

The organization has indicated that it examined and treated since February until August 2011 about 200 patients and the patients were afraid to get medical care from health facilities for fear of arrest, either for their involvement in the protests or their solidarity with the demonstrators.

The trial of the medical staff was postponed to 15 March to display a CD by the prosecution and the defense and to hear defense witnesses and inquire about the complaints of torture. ...more

cb editor: The death of Hajj Mansour Salman Hassan, is yet another example of King Hamad’s murderous reign, as hired authority figures appoint themselves as experts in fields where they lack credentials as legitimate experts. ITS BULLSHIT KING HAMAD. Timoney is an expert on brutality but hardly an expert on health effects of CS gas – wonder if he’s ever read the lable? Cherif Bassiouni is a biased Human Rights expert not a Grand Prix consultant or spokesperson for the people of Bahrain. These men are posers and opportunist grand standing for the morally reprehensible al Khalifa Regime.

Bahraini Old Man Martyred of Toxic Gas
local editor – moqawama.org

As the Bahraini government insists in its series brutal attacks on civilians, 70th Bahraini civilian has been martyred of asphyxia after Saudi-backed regime forces fired toxic tear gas into his house.

The family, who live in Manama, claim tear gas used to disperse protesters may have triggered the asthma attack.

“She suffered from cold and cough that led to the asthma attack and breathlessness and fell unconscious in my arms,” said her brother Anish Baby Varghese.

He thanked doctors for doing everything they could to save her. “We were waiting for the doctor’s permission to take her to India. After getting the approval, the company arranged to send her today, if she had been alive.”

Ms Varghese joined Avis in 2007. Her husband Binu T David, a former Bahrain Financing Company marketing executive, now works in Qatar.

The couple came from Pathananthitta, Kerala, and lived in Bahrain for seven years.

A mass prayer will be held today at St Mary’s Orthodox Church, Manama. The family is expected to leave tonight with the body after completion of legal procedures.…source

Bahrain must investigate more than a dozen deaths that followed the misuse of tear gas by security forces, Amnesty International has said after another person was seriously injured by a tear gas canister in Manama this week.

On Tuesday, 20-year-old Mohammad al-Muwali was seriously injured and hospitalized after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister launched by riot police responding to an anti-government protest in the capital city’s Karrana neighbourhood.

A Bahraini human rights group has reported at least 13 deaths resulting from the security forces’ use of tear gas against peaceful protesters as well as inside people’s homes since February 2011, with a rise in such deaths in recent months.

“The rise in fatalities and eyewitness accounts suggest that tear gas is being used inappropriately by Bahraini security forces, including in people’s homes and other confined spaces,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director.

“The Bahraini authorities must investigate and account for the reports of more than a dozen deaths following tear gas use. The security forces must be instructed on how to use tear gas in line with international policing standards.”

Tear gas is used by law enforcement agencies in many countries as a riot control agent, to disperse violent gatherings that pose a threat to law and order.

But when used inappropriately, including in enclosed areas or on unarmed protesters who are simply exercising their freedoms of expression and assembly, deploying tear gas can constitute a human rights violation.

Amnesty International calls on the Bahraini authorities to make public the instructions that were given to security forces involved in policing demonstrations.

Eyewitnesses have told Amnesty International that Bahraini security forces have intentionally fired tear gas canisters into private homes, often with devastating results for those inside.

Bahraini lawyer Fatima Khudair described how anti-riot police used tear gas after arriving at her house in Sitra village, south of the capital, on 5 January.

She said around 12 women and children were inside her home when some 30 officers burst in and began to beat them.

Fatima Khudair described how one of the officers threw a tear gas canister into a room inside the house before launching another five canisters into an adjacent courtyard.

The tear gas seriously affected the lawyer’s seven-year-old daughter Maryam ‘Issam Ghanem, who suffers from asthma. Her condition is still unstable.

Zaynab ‘Ali Ghanim, Fatima Khudair’s sister-in-law, was also hospitalized with an eye inflammation brought on by the tear gas, among other injuries inflicted by the police.

“Khalifa, leave the residents of Al Mahraq, its Sheikhs and its elderly. Everyone knows that you are not popular here, and if there wasn’t a need for money, they wouldn’t have gone out to receive you. When will you step down?”

“Jail me three years or 30 – I will never give up.” “I will continue all my life struggling for democracy and human rights.” Nabeel Rajab

Side Notes

Preamble US Declaration of Independence

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 17 July 1998
Article 6 Genocide

For the purpose of this Statute, "genocide" means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

- Killing members of the group;

- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

- Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

- Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

In Defence of The Streets

"Many things unsettled me. I felt constantly under pressure. The routine was very hard. I had eye problems, I was unable to focus. I was completely alone. I had nothing to do, so I began to play with the ants crawling in my cell. I used to feed them, too. Then one day the guards came and sprayed my cell with insecticide - the ants died. They were all I had" Bahrain Political Prisoner, Amnesty Report 1991.